Obama’s War

I don’t follow the news much these days but is it really true that Barack Obama is fighting a war with Fox News? The President of the United States, the world’s most powerful man, owner of the biggest pulpit in the country, fighting with Glenn Beck–a recovering alcoholic for heaven’s sake?
Obama really needs to grow [...]

Obama’s Power

Writes George Will,
Obama’s preternatural confidence is intended to be infectious. His presidency begins as an exercise in psychotherapy for a nation suffering a crisis of confidence. But neither the nation nor the government that accurately represents it is constructed for consensus. And he will be unable to fault his office for his frustrations because, more [...]

On Politics

Gaurav Sabnis wrote a post about two different types of desi graduate students he has encountered: One which take interest in American politics and support Obama. The other category is apparently too busy in their labs and in downloading desi movies to really care beyond disqualifying Obama merely he is Black. Having very limited interaction [...]

Mrinal Pande On Pratibha Patil

I have never quite managed to figure out why the eminent blogger is so fond of Mrinal Pande. She writes one atrocious piece after another. Sample her latest one. After a long prologue about market and feminism which I only half-understood, our ”empowered woman” writes,
lthough nobody in his or her right mind thinks that all [...]

Why Patriarchy Rocks

I sincerely believe that the Nehru-Gandhi family has brought ruination to this country. Their Fabian socialism, dictatorial tendencies, and overwhelming love for their family has played a significant role in keeping India a third world country. Now after Nehru, Indira and Rajiv, we are blessed with the renouncer-in-chief, the supreme commander of the Indian National [...]

Not Another One!

Two months before Uttar Pradesh goes to polls, the Government is trying out yet another caste experiment after sops for OBCs, SCs and STs.The Centre is now turning its focus onto the poor among the Brahmins and Thakurs.It’s being tipped to be the balancing act of the UPA Government specially after pushing the OBC and [...]

Can Hillary Clinton Rely On Women?

Linda Hirschman argues that she can’t,
All the gender gap talk notwithstanding, there’s no guarantee that Clinton would receive enough votes from women to be elected. I’ve studied women and women’s politics for 20 years, and if there’s one thing I know, it’s that, except for possibly once in 1996, female voters have not by [...]

Dear Dilip…

In an article in the Hindustan Times, erudite blogger and well-known commentator Dilip D’Souza writes about the 1992-1993 Mumbai riots and about how its perpetrators have not been punished. To prove his point, Dilip quotes from an old post which I had written, just after the 2006 Mumbai blasts.
Take a well known Indian blogger, one [...]

Its The Constitution, Stupid!

Gujarat High Court has declared the U.C Banerjee committee set up to prove the Godhra incident as unconstitutional and a ”colorable” exercise of power. There is little doubt that Laloo Yadav set up the committee solely with an eye on the Bihar election and the Muslim votebank. Justice Banerjee, a few tax-payer funded jaunts later, [...]

Mumbai Blasts And The Usual Nonsense

As the dust settles down and we, the citizens of India, as is our wont, prepare to forget and move on, the usual nonsense continues.
First up, Our dear Prime Minister, surpassing his usual lowhigh standards of public leadership gives us a speech which would be remembered long after for what it said, or rather did [...]

Hypocrisy!

‘‘We will now welcome all investment, including foreign capital, from anyone, anywhere. The only thing we will insist are that the projects are environment-friendly, and non-exploitative,’’ link
Any guesses for who made this statement? It is the minister of industries in the new Kerela government which is supposedly headed by a Communist hardliner. And what does [...]

Stop This Insanity

(via Indian Express)
The wedding between a Hindu girl and a Muslim man in Gujarat has run into trouble after the girl claimed that she was "forced into the marriage and kept in confinement."
The first thing which hit me was that 58 years after independence in this alleged secular republic of ours, where individuals have been promised [...]

Indian Voter…

My labelling of Indian voter as stupid,parochial and bigoted has attracted a fair bit of criticizm. Some fair, other rather unfair. Obviously, only I will decide whats fair and not fair, which not very fair but…heh!
The first point is that it is a gross generalization, how can I call all Indian voters stupid….
I see [...]

Whose Government?

The government has finally(whew!) increased the petroleum prices. Finally a sane decision considering international oil prices are touching 70$ a gallon and the present prices were completely unsustainable.
Now, this gives every party an opportunity to jump on the ”aam aadmi bandwagon.”  So BJP which is recovering  from the drug-induced stupor will launch a nation wide agitation.
The [...]

Links

The reservation issue refuses to fade away though the media currently seems obsessed with Rahul Mahajan..
First, Karan Thapar here tells us about Rajiv's greatest speech,  which he made in our Parliament after Mandal 1 was proposed by V.P Singh..
…To begin with, Mr. Gandhi pointed out that the three important sociologists involved with the Mandal Commission [...]